Dance

Theatre

Theatre previews from around the region

Waitress

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 28 June - Sat 2 July

“Waitress is one of my favourite shows and definitely my favourite soundtrack,” reveals Chelsea Halfpenny, who takes the lead role of Jenna in this touring version of the hit musical. “You can’t help but love the characters. And it’s so funny. I don’t think people expect it to be funny, but it really is.” Waitress’ storyline sees expert pie-maker Jenna accidentally fall pregnant while trapped in a loveless marriage. After developing romantic feelings for her new doctor, she decides to search for the recipe for happiness. She is helped in her endeavour by fellow waitresses and close confidantes Becky and Dawn... “Waitress tackles some really hard-hitting topics in a way that some musicals don’t,” Chelsea continues, “and I think that strikes a chord. It shows that humans are flawed and that we all make mistakes, which really resonates with people. Every night is brilliant, the audience reaction has been incredible, and everyone goes away feeling full of love.”

The White Card

The Rep, Birmingham, Tues 7 - Sat 18 June

“The White Card stages the discussions which we have privately about the roles of art, race, suffering, discrimination and patronage, out loud and beyond what is comfortable to say and hear.” So speaks Claudia Rankine, the writer behind this thought-provoking new work. Telling the story of a wealthy white couple and the talented Black artist they invite to dinner, it focuses on the hot topics of white privilege, cultural appropriation and representation. The piece is directed by Natalie Ibu. “Although set in America, the play is just as relevant in the UK,” says Natalie, “a country where a young Black girl can be stripsearched at school or a Black man can be stopped and searched, simply for wearing a coat on a sunny day. I think there’s never been a more urgent need for this play and the discussions it will force about race in the UK.”

Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Sat 11 June

Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding scored a big hit when it toured pre-pandemic, and with its winning blend of relatable comedy and Bollywood glamour, there’s every chance its welcome return this month will be accompanied by a further cascade of plaudits. The show’s storyline is wafer-thin, but where the production really scores is in its celebration of all things Bollywood, imaginatively blending dancing and singing to create a party atmosphere that’s clearly enjoyed by performers and audiences alike.

Richard III

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon, Thurs 23 June - Sat 8 October

The hunch-backed, crooked, wicked, murderous and machiavellian Duke of Gloucester, better known - once he’s ascended the throne, of course - as Richard III, is perhaps the most powerful and evil of all theatre villains. Shakespeare’s brutal play follows Gloucester’s blood-soaked trail as he uses all his skills as a lover, a liar, a trickster and a tyrant to seize power and become the King of England. Arthur Hughes, who played Gloucester to great critical acclaim in the RSC’s springtime production of Henry VI Part Three - retitled Wars Of The Roses - continues in the role.

Offside

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Thurs 16 June

Turning the spotlight on the still-raging struggle for gender equality, lively threehander Offside follows the story of four women from across the centuries as they battle for the right to play football and, like men, be judged according to their ability. Punchy, lyrical and dynamic, Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish’s critically acclaimed offering is visiting Birmingham as part of a tour to mark the Women's European Football Championship.

And now for something a little different...

Theatre

The Healing Gardens Of Bab

Chamberlain Square, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Symphony Hall and other Birmingham City Centre locations, Mon 27 June - Sun 17 July

Inspired by Babylon’s hanging gardens - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World The Healing Gardens Of Bab sees Fierce transforming a number of locations in Birmingham city centre with unique installations, art and events for everybody. The Healing Gardens are described by Fierce as “a paradise that uplifts alternative expressions of gender, sexuality and family. The gardens are a space to reflect on the violent erasure enforced by British Empire and to celebrate the many sexual identities that are not translatable into English.” The project provides numerous ways to get involved. These include costume workshops, performance opportunities, crafting and talks & discussions.

Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Wed 8 June

Actor Jerick Hoffer as alter-ego Jinkx Monsoon here reunites with Richard Andriessen, as composer and musician Major Scales, in a show that imagines a time some 43 years hence in which the pair take one final desperate shot at stardom. Jinkx will be exceedingly familiar to followers of US reality TV series RuPaul's Drag Race, winning the fifth season of the show back in 2013, while Major Scales has become the drag star’s faithful companion across various endeavours over the past few years. Last delighting UK audiences three years ago with hit show The Ginger Snapped, the duo have built up a significant British following and look set to be regular and welcome visitors to these shores in the years to come.

Tropicana

The Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, Fri 17 & Sat 18 June

Eighties synth-pop provides the soundtrack to ‘queer cabaret icon’ Aidan Sadler’s awardwinning Tropicana, a show that’s described as ‘an exploration of body image, heteronormativity and sometimes wearing a dress round the house on a muggy day’. Aiden scored a big hit with Tropicana at Edinburgh last year, earning effusive praise for energetic performances of golden oldies including Human League’s Don't You Want Me and a-ha’s Take On Me. Although the stand-up aspect of the show wasn’t as universally praised by critics, the occasionally self-conscious delivery of the material was a small and unimportant spanner in the works of a night out that otherwise hit the mark in so many ways. An impressive rendition of Wham!’s Club Tropicana rounded the show off nicely and ensured the audience headed for home with an ’80s-inspired spring in their step.

In Our Skin

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, Fri 10 - Sat 11 June

“The aim is to create a kind of conversation about perceptions of sexuality,” explains In Our Skin director & project creator Greg Homann, “and about how these perceptions raise social and cultural tension points.” South African-born playwright Greg has drawn on 50 hours of interviews with 28 participants to create this brand-new work of theatre, a piece which integrates verbatim text with video and original music. Presented by six actor-musicians, the show connects the lives of gay men from two diverse cities: Birmingham in the West Midlands and Johannesburg in South Africa. The production is being presented as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

Starting life as a series of books, Ladies Of Letters went on to become a BBC Radio Four favourite and a 10-episode television show. Now adapted for the theatre, the humorous twohander reunites Gwyneth Strong and Tessa Peake-Jones - perhaps best known as Cassandra and Raquel in long-running TV sitcom Only Fools And Horses. What’s On recently caught up with Gwyneth to find out more about the new stage show...

“It’s a bit of a shock to the system,” laughs Gwyneth Strong in talking about two-hander comedy Ladies Of Letters, in which she reunites with old pal Tessa Peake-Jones. “There’s quite a lot of words to say, being as there’s only two of us on stage. When you say ‘yes’ to things like this, you know they’re going to be tricky, but we’ve been working very hard and long days, and it’s worth it. It’s nice, good fun, and lovely to be with Tessa after all these years.” The new stage play reunites Gwyneth and Tessa professionally for the first time since they appeared together in iconic TV sitcom Only Fools And Horses. Ladies Of Letters - created by Carole Hayman and Lou Wakefield - began life as a series of books that traced a Royal Mail-powered back’n’forth between two elder women - Vera and Irene. Having met once, the characters struck up a correspondence, exchanging news and opinions, subtly and not so subtly trying to out-do each other, and offering support when the chips were down. Adapted for a BBC Radio Four series in 1997, which ran for over a decade and starred Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales, it transferred to television in 2009, with Anne Reid and Maureen Lipman as Vera and Irene. “I do remember hearing it on Radio Four and thinking it was very funny," recalls Gwyneth, who'd previously worked with writers Lou and Carole while at London's Royal Court Theatre. "I really liked it, and then I heard the names Carole Hayman and Lou Wakefield come up at the end, and I thought, amazing! I didn’t know it was them who'd written it!” Despite the appeal of the earlier radio and TV incarnations, both Gwyneth (Vera) and Tessa (Irene) decided to steer clear of any old recordings. “We haven’t gone back to listen to it again because I think it might confuse us. Neither of us have it in our heads - I only heard it all those years ago - which I think is best because we’ve got to make it our own.” Ladies Of Letters’ premise may be simple, but it’s also highly effective. “They get very much into a one-upmanship that brings out lots of comedy - hopefully and pathos. It’s very interesting, the mix that it is, and I don’t think there’s anything you can compare it to, which is a good thing.” Though sharing common ground - both Irene and Vera are widows who live alone - their rivalry, spanning everything from offspring to recipes and household tips, makes for some beautifully observed comedy. On the surface, it may seem a little (dare we say it?) comfortable, but brewing in the background are very real concerns and darker themes. “It can be quite dark. A word that wouldn’t have been around when they first made the radio series is ‘frenemy’, and they are definitely ‘frenemies’ - the two ladies need each other, and that works; they keep hooking back in. It’s quite lively - and fruity in parts too, which we like!” Adapting the series of (occasionally poisoned) penned exchanges for the stage is acclaimed writer Jonathan Harvey (Corrie, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Beautiful Thing). Though he keeps in the spirit of the original, his input has given the production a contemporary sheen, allowing characters to engage with such 21st-century issues as climate change. “Jonathan’s done an amazing job in adapting the letters to a fully blown story, and it’s amazing how much of it was in the original book. He’s done a magical job with weaving it all together and updating the bits that needed updating. He’s made the women a bit younger than they were, and that’s given them a bit more scope to talk about different things. He's a great writer.” Gwyneth and Tessa first met in 1988 after they joined the cast of BBC One sitcom Only Fools And Horses. Gwyneth starred as Cassandra, the partner of Nicholas Lyndhurst's Rodney, while Tessa was Raquel, the long-term (and long-suffering) girlfriend of David Jason's London chancer, Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter. Written by John Sullivan (who'd previously created Citizen Smith, starring Robert Lindsay), Only Fools And Horses followed Del Boy’s exploits as he attempted to better himself with get-rich-quick schemes that consistently ended in disaster. The series ran from 1981 to 2003 and remains hugely popular today, with regular repeats and even a West End stage musical. “I first saw Tessa when I went to see her first episode. I was rehearsing, and they asked if I wanted to see a recording of the show; I’d never seen one before, live. “So the first time I actually saw her was on the set - which was really funny - and we met really briefly after. “Actually, at the beginning, we didn’t know if we would be involved together, or even any more, because we were both booked originally, I think, for one episode each.” Both Cassandra and Raquel were instant hits, becoming vital characters for the rest of the show’s life. Discussing the series’ enduring popularity, Gwyneth says: “It has this life of its own that just goes on and on, which is delightful. Obviously, we knew that we were in this very successful show back then, but we never thought we’d be talking about it 30 years later. “It seems to be able to entertain all generations, and doesn’t seem to have dated in the way that other shows perhaps have. “John Sullivan was such a wonderful writer, so we always had this incredible material, which was a joy to read even before it was in the hands of all the other talent involved in the show.”

Gwyneth Strong (main image) stars alongside Tessa Peake-Jones (left) in Ladies Of Letters at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, from Tues 7 to Thurs 9 June.

Dance previews from across the region

On Your Marks

Birmingham Hippodrome, Thurs 23 - Sat 25 June

This mouthwatering triple bill - inspired by the Commonwealth Games and presented as part of Birmingham International Dance Festival and Birmingham 2022 Festival - marks the first time Birmingham Royal Ballet has performed with dancers from Director Carlos Acosta’s other company, the Cuba-based Acosta Danza. “Acosta Danza have, for a long time, performed a really popular work called 12 by Jorge Crecis,” explains Carlos. “Now Jorge has upgraded this work so it has 12 dancers from Acosta Danza and 12 dancers from BRB in a new version called 24. It’s all about celebrating sports and mathematics and is a really fun crowd-pleaser.” The triple bill also features the world premiere of Interlinked, a commission from Brazilian choreographer Juliano Nunes, and Will Tuckett’s Lazuli Sky - which the company premiered in October 2020 to reduced audiences because of Covid. “Juliano is a brilliant choreographer and is working with the Australian composer Luke Howard on the new commission, which has the Commonwealth Games in mind,” Carlos explains. “And this is also a chance for everyone who couldn’t see Lazuli Sky before to come and experience it now. It’s a great piece by Will, who is from Birmingham, and uses augmented reality in a really amazing way.”

Dance

Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance The Alexandra, Birmingham, Thurs 16 - Sun 19 June

Since catapulting traditional Irish music and folk dance into the limelight back in the mid-1990s (ably assisted in so doing by the similarly sensational Riverdance, of course), Michael Flatley’s choreographed adventure, Lord Of The Dance, has become an international phenomenon. This Birmingham stop-off forms part of a nationwide tour to celebrate 25 years of the hit show. The last quarter-century has seen Lord Of The Dance visit over 1,000 venues in a total of 60 countries and entertain in excess of 60 million people. If you’ve not yet been among them, then this is the perfect opportunity to catch up with one of the world’s most successful dance extravaganzas.

Autin Dance Theatre: Out Of The Deep Blue

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Sun 26 June

Birmingham-based Autin have been performing across the Midlands and further afield since 2013. “We draw on contemporary social issues and events to make work which is beautifully crafted, accessible and relevant,” says founder Johnny Autin. “The company has a reputation for creating powerful performances, catapulting audiences into intense dance-worlds which we hope will resonate with them long after they leave the auditorium.” Out Of The Deep Blue finds the ensemble heading outdoors and combining dance, movement and puppeteering to explore the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.

Mi Flamenco Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sun 12 June Strictly Presents: Keeeep Dancing!

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Sun 26 June

The latest production from the Strictly Come Dancing stable of shows sees 2020 finalist and EastEnders star Maisie Smith joining forces with 2021 semifinalist and CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson. The duo are accompanied by the show’s professional dancers, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez, Jowita Przystal and Nancy Xu. An extra-special treat for Strictly fans comes in the form of live music from The Wanted’s Max George, who competed in the 2020 series of the long-running BBC One show. “Our inspiration comes from how flamenco speaks to us, and we are constantly evolving to find ways of expressing that voice to our audiences; to intrigue and inspire.” So say the long-established Mi Flamenco, a company widely admired for productions which seamlessly blend engaging imagery and soul-stirring music with evocative dance. Their Shropshire visit sees them presenting brand-new touring show Echoes.